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Aniello Dellacroce
Aniello John Dellacroce, also known as Father Neil, The Tall Guy, and The Pollack (March 15, 1914 - December 2, 1985) was an Italian immigrant gangster, and underboss of the Gambino crime family. Much of Dellacroce's early life is a mystery except that he was born to first generation immigrants in Della Croce, Loria Treviso, Veneto, Italy. Aniello's father was a mob associate involved in the Gambino crime family and served under Vincent Mangano. Growing up in Little Italy, Manhattan, Dellacroce soon became a contract killer for his father's boss Vincent Mangano in his family and earned a reputation as a vicious killer because he demonstrated sadistic behavior. He was a protege of Albert Anastasia, who was Mangano's underboss at the time. Aniello had one sister named Mary born November 7, 1912 who lived in Richmond, New York. She married John Ruggiero Sr. and would later bare him two sons, future Gambino crime family underboss Angelo Ruggiero and Gambino crime family capo Salvatore Ruggiero who would later follow their uncle into organized crime. He owned the now notorious Ravenite Social Club located at 247 Mulberry Street which included eighteen apartments and a two-room storefront. Aniello was a tall, broad-shouldered man who was usually chomping on a cigar, Dellacroce was said to have a menacing stare. Behind his back, family members called him "Pollack" due to his Polish looks. After the disappearance and assumed murder of Mangano, Anastasia became boss of the family and appointed Dellacroce as a caporegime with his own crew. He fathered one son Gambino crime family capo Armond Dellacroce. On October 25, 1957, Anastasia was murdered in a barbershop in a New York hotel and Carlo Gambino took over the family. Gambino, who supposedly ordered Anastasia's murder, took over Anastasia's crews and formed the Gambino family. To placate Dellacroce, who had been a strong Anastasia supporter, Gambino appointed him as underboss. Like most 'old time' Mafiosi, Dellacroce did not attract attention to himself. He sometimes walked around Manhattan dressed as a priest and calling himself 'Father O'Neil', to confuse both the police and rival mobsters. He allegedly committed a killing dressed as the priest. On September 21, 1961, Dellacroce was dining in Luna's Restaurant in Manhattan. Joey Gallo and members of his crew got into a dispute with Dellacroce and severely beat him. Gallo was gunned down 11 years later in Little Italy, Manhattan. editFamily Dellacroce is the uncle of Gambino crime family capos Angelo Ruggiero and Salvatore Ruggiero, great uncle of Salvatore Ruggiero Jr. and John Ruggiero Jr. and father of Gambino crime family mob associate Armond Dellacroce. His son Armond was born on Staten Island in 1951 and died in 1988. Aniello's grandson, Salvatore Ruggiero Jr. was estranged from Dellacroce, and his father, but built a close relationship with John A. Gotti the son of Gambino crime family mob boss John Gotti, referring to him affectionately as "uncle" acting as a surrogate father figure towards the boy. He is also the father of two illegitimate children which were born to a married Irish woman Rosemary Connelly, a daughter Shannon Connelly and Sean Connelly. In the late 1960s Aniello had an affair with Ernesto Grillo's wife, Rosemary Connelly Grillo, who bore Dellacroce two illegitimate children, Shannon Connelly and Sean Connelly.needed The biological paternity of the children was never disputed until after Dellacroce and Rosemary Grillo's deaths. Under mob protocol Aniello Dellacroce could have been sentenced to death for having had the affair. But as Dellacroce was respected by his associates, the infuriated Ernesto Grillo, who found out about the affair through fellow mobstersneeded, was persuaded to accept an undisclosed cash settlement and the affair promptly ended. He also has another son Giovanni born in 1978 who presently plays an active role in mob activities After Albert Anastasia's gangland slaying Carlo Gambino remembered the affair. This would lead to Carlo passing over Dellacroce, selecting his cousin and brother-in-law Paul Castellano as his successor. Castellano was eventually killed by disgruntled members of the Gambino crime family. editCastellano regime Gambino avoided a potential inter-family war by getting Castellano to agree to keep Dellacroce as underboss. In addition, Castellano agreed to run white-collar criminal operations like union racketeering and fraud, but leave the more traditional, 'hands-on' Mafia activities, such as robbery, hijacking and extortion, to Dellacroce's supervision.needed With Gambino's death, Castellano became boss as planned. Castellano soon banned drug dealing in the family. However, this edict ignored by many family members, including the ambitious mobster John Gotti. Gotti became increasingly eager to depose Castellano and take over the family, but was held back by DellacroceOn December 2, 1985, Aniello "Neil" Dellacroce died of lung cancer, aged 71. He was buried in St. John's Cemetery in the borough of Queens in New York City. After Dellacroce's death, Gotti no longer felt constrained against attacking Castellano. In addition, Castellano's refusal to visit his dying underboss or attend his funeral reportedly enraged Gotti. On December 16, Castellano and his driver/bodyguard/new underboss Thomas Bilotti were shot down outside Spark's Steak House in Manhattan. Gotti then took over as boss of the Gambino family. In April 1988, Dellacroce's son, Armond "Buddy" Dellacroce, died of a cerebral hemorrhage while hiding in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. He had been convicted of racketeering and had failed to appear for sentencing on March 31, 1986. The cause of death was listed as cirrhosis and an overdose of cocaine. Category:Underbosses[[Category:Gambino Crime Family]] Category:John Gotti